Random thoughts from a Brit in the North West. Sometimes serious, sometimes not. Quite often curmudgeonly.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

One sometimes gets the impression that corruption in Spanish politicians is not merely disregarded but actually seen as a prerequisite for the job. Click here for some support for this tendentious statement.

An interesting use of words by a British police-person today, warning people not to try to cause trouble during Friday's royal wedding:- "Any criminals who attempt to disrupt the wedding . . . . " Good to know the police can recognise criminals in advance of arrest and trial. And possibly even before they've take any action.

Talking about the strange choice of words, here's The Times today on the tragic death of a human cannonball whose safety net collapsed, bringing him into fatal contact with the ground:- "The man was knocked unconscious and had blood pouring out of his mouth. Paramedics and Air Ambulance staff took him to Maidstone hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The show's evening performance was cancelled." Perhaps they were expecting a no-show.

And here's something which most Spain watchers would probably regard as a tough sell.

As my blog has been included in a list of the 50 best blogs for folk studying Spanish, the least I can do is cite the site and seek comments. So here it is.

Finally . . . An extract from Bill Bryson's "Mother Tongue"

"Perhaps the most notable characteristic of English - for better and worse - is its deceptive complexity. Nothing in English is ever quite what it seems. . . . Imagine trying to explain to a foreigner what what means. It takes the Oxford English Dictionary five pages and almost 15,000 words to manage the task. As native speakers we seldom stop to think just how complicated and illogical English is."